Florida agency stops publishing report on utility customers' complaints

ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA - In a move decried by consumer advocates, the Florida Public Service Commission has stopped publishing a monthly report that kept track of utility customer complaints and the commission's effectiveness in resolving them.

The PSC ceased publication of its Consumer Activity Report with its January edition. The report, which had been posted every month on the commission's Web site and distributed internally at the PSC, provided a statistical overview of customer complaints about the state's regulated electric, phone, gas, water and sewer utilities.

The report identified utilities by name and recorded the number of complaints they had received, how many complaints the PSC staff had investigated and resolved, and how much money the commission's actions had saved for consumers.

For example, consumer activity reports showed a rise in AT&T billing complaints in the months leading up to state Attorney General Charlie Crist's April 2004 lawsuit against the long- distance carrier for erroneously charging customers for services they didn't request. Crist and AT&T settled the matter in January.

Crist described the report Wednesday as "a great public service" for consumers and said his staff referred to it regularly to keep track of service quality levels at utility companies.

"I'm very disappointed," Crist said of the report's demise. "It's beyond unfortunate."

Much of the complaint data found in the Consumer Activity Report will be merged with portions of another PSC report, but the commission hasn't determined how often the newly merged publication will be issued, PSC spokesman Kevin Bloom said. Bloom said complaint data will also be released upon request.

Minimal usage of the report among PSC staff and an anticipated reduction in the PSC's budget for the 2005-2006 fiscal year prompted the commission to ax the report, Bloom said. When asked how much money would be saved, Bloom said the figure hadn't been calculated.

Tallahassee consumer lawyer Mike Twomey criticized the PSC's decision to shutter the Consumer Activity Report.

"It's like a kid coming home and hiding his report card," he said. "It's just inexcusable and unacceptable."

State public counsel Harold McLean, whose office represents the interests of Florida utility customers, said the report provided vital updates on utility service quality and on the PSC's responsiveness to customer complaints.

"I regret that they've stopped doing it because it makes it more difficult for interested parties and the public to know what they're doing over there," said McLean, a former PSC general counsel. "When they should strike a blow for transparency, they've opted instead for obfuscation."